Need help: Belgian Volunteer killed in Op Veritable

Discussion in 'NW Europe' started by stolpi, Jan 30, 2018.

  1. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    During the opening phase of Veritable, on 8 Feb 45, the Regiment de Maisonneuve lost only a few soldiers killed in the attack on De Heuvel; one of them was the young Pte Lacoste (KIA).

    I recently got hold of the Regimental History of the Maisonneuves and learned from this, that Pte Lacoste was killed by shellfire while escorting four POW's to the rear from Hochstrasze. Lacoste was the bat-man of Lieutenant Boisclair, who wanted him out of harm's way and therefore let him escort the POW's back; Lacoste had just returned from a short furlough to France, where he got engaged with a French girl he had met earlier. See: Op Veritable: the Canadian attack on Wyler & Den Heuvel, 8 Feb 1945

    According to the Regt History, a Belgian volunteer, named Alexandre Vermeire, who accompanied Lacoste, was killed in the same shelling. Vermeire had joined the Maisonneuves earlier, in Sept 1944.

    I wonder if anyone has any idea where this Belgian volunteer has been buried. I cannot find him on the CWGC-site. It could be that the spelling of the name is wrong, might be Alexander Vermere or Vermeer
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2018
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  2. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

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  3. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    I have already tried looking for that exact date and against the widest parameter for his surname possible in all Ancestry collections - and didnt even come up with the link you found above :mad:

    TD

    added

    I would guess it might need someone who can access Belgium records??
     
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  4. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    In the meantime, I've learned that all the Belgian war deads (volunteers in Allied units; Brigade Piron etc.) were brought back to their own country - is there a register of war dead in Belgium.

    (Also noticed that his last name could have been Vermeiren)
     
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  5. Steve Mac

    Steve Mac Very Senior Member

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  6. amberdog45

    amberdog45 Senior Member

    I had a look at Rootschat to see what research tools they use for genealogy and doesn't look good. This was a reply given back in 2015.

    "There is no central authority for bmds in Belgium, they were kept by each commune. There are also quite strict privacy laws regulating access to certificates < 100 years old. (There might be places you could go if you were searching living persons for legal reasons, i.e. lawyer looking for heirs to an estate, but I don't know those).

    If you know the specific area, my recommendation would be to check all the late 1890s/early 1900s, family births for any marginal notes that tell you where/when a person married and died. These dates may well be available online, depending on precise location - either at search.arch.be or on familysearch or both. Note that familysearch has a large number of Belgian records which are not name indexed and cannot be searched from the top page, they must be viewed as images and you must know the exact location to do so.

    That will hopefully get you forward sufficiently to start searching the phone book.

    Also check http://www.geneanet.org/ in case somebody else is researching the same family (lots of French/Belgium genealogists on this site). You only need a free account to search on surname + location, which I find is generally enough".
     
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  7. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    Hi ,

    I saw the message about the Belgian volonteer VERMEIRE Alexandre.
    For what its worth I found that he initialy was burried at the Groesbeek cemetery, but after his name is a handwritten note that his remains should be transfered to another place 23-08-1947. So Probably he is now burried in the village he was born of lived at the time he died.

    With Regards,

    Frans
     
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  8. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

  9. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Frans - Thank you so much!

    Where about is this monument.
     
  10. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    Knipsel VERMEIRE.JPG
     
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  11. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    Hi, at this stage its just hunch that the VERMEIRE Alex mentioned on this monument of Uccle is the person You are searching for. I will look in to it asap, because VERMEIRE is also in a project of my own. So to be continued..........
     
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  12. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

  13. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    Today received the answer about the grave of VERMEIRE and I know allready the cemetery, so when I have a opportunity I will go to there and make some pics .
     
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  14. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

  15. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    110-80291 DSC03267 Ukkel Verrewinkel.JPG
     
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  16. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    DSC09533 Ukkel-Verrewinkel.JPG DSC09535 Ukkel-Verrewinkel.JPG
     
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  17. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Last edited: Nov 7, 2018
  18. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    I think so to. Most likely VERMEIRE remains at first were transfered from Groesbeek to the Dieweg Cemetery of Ukkel , but somewere in 1988 they moved the military graves to the Verrewinkel cemetery where they are still today. I will go there and make some pics but have to do that together with some other research, because just driving there for just one grave is making no sense , because of the distance etc. But it will come .
     
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  19. stolpi

    stolpi Well-Known Member

    Thank you!
     
  20. Frans8800

    Frans8800 Member

    Welcome, I did ask if there was a date known of burrial of VERMEIRE and just received ''Begraving op 24/03/1949'' And in this case directly from Groesbeek to Ukkel Verrewinkel, so NOT first burried at Dieweg cemetery. Sometimes research can be very confusing.......
     
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